


Locked Away

by AshWinterGray



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dreams, Family Bonding, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Mental Breakdown, Mind Break, Movie Nights, Near Death Experiences, Scarecrow's Fear Toxin (DCU), Sixth Sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:29:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27034966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshWinterGray/pseuds/AshWinterGray
Summary: When Jason is found half-dead by Tim and his friends after being missing for six months, the Bats are told that they may never get Jason back. He's retreated so far into his own head that not even Martian Manhunter is sure he can fix the problem without causing more damage.This doesn't stop the Bats, and they intend to do everything they can to bring Jason back to them. They might just fix themselves along the way.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne
Comments: 18
Kudos: 284





	Locked Away

**Author's Note:**

> I got bored and needed a break form my actual series I'm writing. Welcome to my word vomit.

“Are we sure there is anything here?”

“When is Red ever wrong?”

“Touché.”

“Wait, I see something.”

“What? Where?”

“To your left. It…I think it’s a person.”

“What!?”

“Go get Cassie and Tim!”

“Got it!”

“Hey! Can you hear me! I’m going to get you out! Just sit tight!”

“KON!”

“Cassie! Help me move this!”

“Okay!”

“Bart! Buddy! We can’t keep holding this! You need to get that person ou-”

**_THUD_**

“Oh…oh no!”

“KON! CASSIE! BART!”

“No! Don’t let Tim see! Kon, don’t let him see!”

“Kon, what…JASON!?”

“Tim, wait-!”

“Jason? Jason!? Jason come on! Talk to me! JASON!!!!”

“Tim, give him some space. Tim!”

\-------------------------------

Clark ushered Kon, Cassie, and Bart out of the medbay as Bruce began to take off his cowl. Tim was fast asleep, tucked into Jason’s side, still clad in his Red Robin suit. Jason, however, had been changed into a typical hospital outfit, rid of the old clothes that smelled of blood, dirt, and rot. Jason had been cleaned, the loss of dirt revealing just how pale he had become and how much weight he loss. His eyes, once a vibrant green that showed off his dip in the Lazarus, were now a dull teal. Bruce found that worse than the teal.

“Jay,” Bruce whispered, hand reaching for his son’s shoulder. “Lad.”

There was no reaction as Bruce’s hand landed on the shoulder. His son’s gaze remained vacant; his stance unchanging. His hand, where Tim had laced their fingers, refused to react and close back against Tim’s hold. Bruce let out a chocked sob.

Clark had debriefed him earlier. Kon had immediately called for Clark when Tim went into hysterics when Jason refused to respond verbally or otherwise. While Clark brought Jason to Watchtower, Tim’s friends had gotten him to calm down before bringing him to Watchtower. Only for Tim to breakdown again when he overheard J’onn’s diagnosis of Jason.

Bruce nearly broke down himself when he received the full diagnosis. Electrocuted. Whipped. Waterboarded. Suffocated. Stabbed. Maimed. Shot. Burned. Frozen. Sensory Depraved. Punched. Beaten. Manipulated. Stretched. Starved. Dehydrated. Bound. Caged. Drowned. Dropped. Too many forms of torture to properly catalogue. All within the last six months.

Bruce had only realized Jason was missing for four of those months.

In the end, Jason’s mind had been broken more so than his body, and the only reason Jason’s body had healed was because of the Lazarus Pit, which had nearly run its course due to the extreme torture.

Bruce had always wanted Jason to come home, but not like this. Never like this.

Bruce pressed a kiss against Jason’s head, chocking back on another sob. There was nothing J’onn could do to fix Jason without ruining his mind more. There was a chance. Slim, but a chance. Still, even that hope wasn’t enough to relieve Bruce of this sight. Of his son trapped in his own head.

_“His mind…it was the Manor, in ruins. Everything destroyed. When I found Jason, he was sitting in front of his own grave, willing the ground to take him.”_

“I’m here, Jay. You have to come back to me. I’m here.”

He had nearly lost Dick because he was impatient. Though Bruce would never admit it, he would never forgive himself for pushing Dick away. His own impatience and selfishness had torn his family apart. He would not fail Jason. He couldn’t afford too.

“I’m going to bring you home, lad,” Bruce promised, pressing another kiss to the side of his son’s head. “We’re going home.”

Jason still doesn’t respond. _Can’t_ give a response. Bruce was going to have to remind himself of that.

\--------------------------

Bruce spent the first week of Jason being back in the Manor constantly by Jason’s bedside, but soon, he had to get back to work. With Tim too emotionally compromised, Bruce took over as CEO once more, and continued as Batman. If Batman was a little more aggressive than usual, well, Harley Quinn managed to talk to the Bat long enough to realize one of the Robins was down. Possibly indefinitely. The word was spread fairly quickly.

Bruce wasn’t surprised to find that Tim spent most of his time in Jason’s room. Working. Sleeping. Caring for Jason. It took inviting over Tim’s friends to get Tim away from Jason. Bruce wasn’t surprised by this. What _was_ surprising was when Bruce walked in on Damian, late on night, to find his son curled up in the library with a sketch book open in his lap. He had gone to carry Damian to bed, only to catch sight of the drawing.

Jason, looking catatonic even in the picture, staring down at Alfred the cat as he slept. Tim was curled up fast asleep at Jason’s side, his resting position. And Titus was at the opposite side of the bed, sitting on the floor, watching Jason carefully.

Bruce was relieved to know that Jason had more than one sibling looking out for him.

But the surprises didn’t stop there.

There was a day when Bruce came home to find Tim at the Batcomputer. Knowing that Damian had been out with Jon, he was worried about who was with Jason, as Alfred couldn’t be with Jason at all times either. To his surprise, however, he found Cass sat beside Jason on the bed, carefully sounding out the words to a book that was a bit too complicated for her. But one glance showed it to be _Pride and Prejudice_ , one of Jason’s favorites.

Another time, Bruce came home for lunch and found Steph prompting Jason to eat, chew, swallow, and drink. She did it with the practiced ease that came from her time with Leslie and helping patients in Africa. She babbled on about the newest movies that came out, the weather, the newest fad, and whatever she could think of.

One night he came back to find Cullen and Harper on either side of Jason, the two watching cartoons. The two would laugh and occasionally talk to Jason, mocking whatever was happening on screen as if Jason could respond.

Another day, he found Duke singing songs he remembered as he worked on homework. The kid would occasionally stop and mutter about a problem, talking to Jason about whatever he was struggling with until he had an answer, then he would go back to singing as if he never stopped.

There were a few times he would come home to see Barbara sitting at Jason’s bedside, discussing the odd customer that would show up at the library. Jason used to love Barbara’s tales of being a librarian, and it was more than amazing to see it happen again, even if it was one-sided.

When Dick finally came home (and the Manor would always be Dick’s home, at least to Bruce), his oldest wasted no time in curling into Jason’s side, Tim on the other side. It was the first time Bruce ever actively saw Damian in Jason’s room, though Bruce knew that there were at least a dozen sketches that proved Damian had been in here. Sometimes Dick would talk. Other times, Dick would sit in silence.

The worst moment where Bruce nearly put his foot down was when he walked into Jason’s room to find Kate telling Jason embarrassing stories of when Bruce had been a kid.

There was, however, one unspoken rule amongst the Bats. Whenever Bruce had a day off, he got to spend that day alone with Jason. Only Alfred and the pets got to interfere.

This time, Bruce was sat beside Jason on the bed, holding his son’s hand as he talked about whatever he could think of.

“Dick discovered that Tim had never watched the _Lord of the Rings_ movies,” Bruce was saying, rubbing circles into the back of his son’s hand with his thumb. “Of course, Dick is trying to plan a movie night because there is no way Cass and Damian have seen it either. I managed to dig up the extended edition copies you kept in your old bedroom, and even found the books. Damian has taken to reading them whenever Cass is nearby so she can listen. They’ll probably want to have the movie night in her-Jay?”

Bruce’s head whipped to his son, only to find the boy’s expression still blank, but there was no mistaking the feeling on Bruce’s hand. A slow, hesitant glance down proved what Bruce was almost afraid to hope for. Jason’s hand was slowly closing around his own.

Every instinct in Bruce screamed for him to jump up, to call for the family. For Leslie. For J’onn. But at the same time, rushing things was what nearly drove Dick away. He couldn’t do that with Jason. Couldn’t afford to mess up.

“They’ll probably want to have the movie night in here,” Bruce continued, prompting Jason’s hand to lace with his own. “I may or may not have told Dick you loved those books and those movies. He’ll be eager to have a family movie night. I might be able to convince Dinah to take patrol. We can have the _whole_ family together. Maybe we can even get Alfred to stay. Though I’m putting my foot down at bringing Batcow upstairs.”

As Bruce continued to talk, Jason’s hand finally closed around his own. But it didn’t stop there. Slowly, ever so slowly that Bruce had to control himself, Jason’s head moved to lean on Bruce’s shoulder. His son gave a sharp, almost relieved exhale of breath before shutting his eyes. Bruce had too much training to not realize Jason was still awake, so Bruce kept talking.

“We can probably fit everyone in here,” Bruce mocked glancing around the room. “A few chairs and some blankets should make enough room. One big, happy, maybe insane, family.”

He might have imagined the snort, so Bruce didn’t dare hope. Of course, that was a lie.

\----------------------------

Nearing a year since Jason had been returned to them, completely catatonic, and four months since Jason gripped Bruce’s hand back, there was a loud shatter upstairs, a thud, and then a yelp. A yelp from Tim. From Jason’s room. The Bats that were home had raced to the bedroom to find Jason on the floor and Tim trying to lift him back up.

“Drake!” Damian roared. “What have you done!?”

“Nothing!” Tim squawked. “I was walking in when Jason knocked over the lamp and fell off the bed! I swear!”

A closer look at Jason face showed that it didn’t hold the same catatonic expression it used too. It looked frustrated, maybe determined. However, whatever had fueled Jason to try and move quickly faded and he slumped limply on top of Tim, catatonic once more.

Bruce hadn’t told the others about the hand incident. He didn’t want them to have false hope, was afraid that he dreamed it. But the _entire_ family knew seconds after Jason’s little stunt. It was Alfred who made sure Jason wasn’t crowded, only letting one person into the room at a time and forbidding excessive prompting.

Jason had clearly worn himself out for the day.

“Take your time, lad,” Bruce was telling his son that night. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself, alright? You don’t need to rush.”

No response, but Bruce wasn’t expecting one.

“Stephanie thinks you should make a bucket list,” Bruce continued on. “Or something like a bucket list. Just a list of things you want to do to make up for lost time. Tim offered coming back to life, but we agreed to put a question mark next to it. I guess that’s my fault for not knowing what you’d like to do. Although, given how much you loved school, I went ahead and put ‘Get GED’ on the list.”

Jason blinked. The only response Bruce knew he would get.

“Alfred mentioned inviting others over to come see you,” Bruce kept going. “Your friend, Artemis, has expressed to Diana that she wishes to see you. As has Donna. Kyle Rayner has approached me, and Kori has been talking to Dick about you. I think we’re going to make a schedule for them to visit.”

Jason’s eyes slid shut, and this time, Bruce knew Jason was asleep.

\----------------------------

The year passed. A new one began. And yet the Bats never gave up on Jason. Nor did Jason’s friends. There were frequent visits to the Manor now, at whatever time they could spare. It eased Bruce to know that Jason was never alone for long.

But after the standing attempt (at least, that was what they assumed he was doing), Jason’s acts of movement were few and far between. His leg would shift, his hand would flex, his head would move. He didn’t have bouts of clarity like he did that day.

So, of course, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong.

“JASON!”

To everyone’s horror, it had been Bruce struck with fear toxin when he gave his rebreather to a little girl. Bruce had expected to see Jason’s dead body in the warehouse, or maybe his parents in the alley. While he hadn’t come to terms with either, had learned to deal with both situations.

What he hadn’t expected was to walk into the Manor and find the rest of his family surrounding the bed where Jason lay. When Bruce pushed through, he found his son dead, the cloudy look in his eyes having lost all light entirely.

Bruce had gone ballistic, and it took calling Clark to drag him back to the Manor.

“Get the antidote!”

“I did get the antidote!”

“Well it’s not working!”

“Then get his blood work!”

“What!?”

“I might be a new strain! Get his- GAH!”

**“JASON!”**

“He’s hurting himself!”

“Clark! Hold him down!”

“I’m trying!”

“Dad…”

At least a dozen heads all whipped to the soft, sound, barely heard over Bruce’s wailing for his son. But even that tampered off as the singular word was repeating. No one dared move as Jason Todd slowly picked his way across the cave, barely standing on his own two feet.

“Dad…Dad…Dad…Dad…Dad…Dad…”

“Jason,” Bruce called, fumbling forward. “Jay. Jay, my son.”

Jason collapsed onto Bruce’s chest, releasing a breath as his father curled around him shielding him from the world. Tim managed to get ahold of himself first, instantly get a sample of Bruce’s blood to be analyzed. It was uncanny to everyone to see Bruce break down, and he didn’t let Jason go, even after the cure had a chance to work through his system.

“I can’t stop shaking.”

“I know,” Clark squeezed Bruce’s shoulder a little tighter. “No one blames you for that. Especially not Jason.”

Jason’s gaze hadn’t gone back to being cloudy, but he still wasn’t all there. The boy’s own body shook from the strain of walking down the stairs and into the cave. It had been over a year since Jason had proper exercise, and it was a miracle as to how Jason even got out of bed.

\----------------------------------

Jason’s interactions were more frequent now, though not all there. He hadn’t said much more than when he stumbled into the cave, but the family kept talking to him. Bruce was just grateful that everyone who came to visit his son was kind enough to give him time alone with Jason.

“We added fix up Crime Alley to your bucket list,” Bruce told Jason, his son’s head slowly turning to him. “It was your home, and though I may not have approved of your methods of doing so, I know that you wished to save your home from the corruption and destruction.”

Jason’s hand was suddenly gripping Bruce’s wrist, and Bruce used his free hand to grasp back.

“It will be a process to come up with a good plan. Perhaps we could start with Leslie’s clinic, actually giving her the best funds possible. Schools too, for kids and adults. It will take some coaxing, as Tim pointed out, but it’s a start.”

There was a smile on Jason’s face. Bright. Cheerful. Bruce felt a swell of pride that he had put that there. Jason deserved to smile.

“Do you think he’ll ever fully recover?” Clark asked later that day as Jason lay nestled between Cass and Tim.

“I don’t know,” Bruce admitted. “J’onn has been monitoring his mind, but there is still a chance this could all shatter.”

Clark hummed, not saying much more on the subject. There wasn’t much else he could say. Jason wasn’t all back, not really. But there was still some part of him there. It was a part that they were all willing to hold onto.

\-----------------------

Another year, and Jason continued to make progress. The Bats were taking it a step at a time. Along with Jason’s continual movement, they had gotten used to Jason’s desire to be by their bedside. None of them were certain how Jason knew they were injured or in need, but he had a habit of being there. There were even times when Jason would have a sixth sense about when someone he cared about needed help.

And when Roy Harper came back, Jason knew. He waited, patiently, eagerly, sitting at a spot where he could easily see the front entrance of the Manor. For six days, Jason refused to move.

“Jay, come to bed, please,” Bruce urged. “I don’t want you to hurt your back. And you need to sleep.”

Bruce had not heard from the Titans, and he feared this odd behavior was because one of the others was hurt. So, as Bruce was coaxing Jason back to bed, he was rather surprised to see several cars swerve to a frantic stop in front of the Manor. Donna Troy spotted them in the window first, instantly pointing up to them, while Dick followed her finger with an eager smile and a frantic wave. Bruce didn’t have time to question his son’s extra perky behavior (more so than usual) when he spotted Red Hair getting out of one of the vehicles. Red Hair attached to a body with green eyes and a tattooed arm. A familiar cap rested on his head too.

Roy Harper grinned up at Jason and Bruce. And Jason grinned back, chocking on sobs as he tried to stumble to a stand. Bruce was quick to help his son, guiding him down the stairs and through the front door where he immediately collapsed in Roy’s arms.

“How long has Roy been alive?” Bruce asked Dick.

“Six days,” Dick shrugged. “We’ve been on our way back since.”

Bruce sucked in a breath. This was starting to get a bit terrifying.

So Bruce called in favors and allies. J’onn was still giving the same verdict. M’gaan was hesitant. Lilith Clay wasn’t sure what to do. Zatanna was stumped. Kryptonian technology could give no answer.

But John Constantine physically froze when he saw Jason.

“How interesting,” Constantine stated. “Why on Earth are you there?”

“John?” Zatanna, who had come with Constantine, nudged him back to the present. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Well, I’ll tell you this much,” Constantine huffed, still studying Jason carefully. “He’s not necessarily trapped in his own head. Nor is he trapped at all. Good thing, too. With the state of his head, his entire mind could shatter.”

“But Jason has been reacting to us,” Dick pointed out. “How could he not be there?”

“I didn’t say he _wasn’t_ in his head,” Constantine corrected. “I said he wasn’t _trapped_ in his head. Given the report Z made me look over, your son went through severe torture at the hands of some real messed up blokes. Like most trauma victims in the face of pain, your son’s mind shut down and fractured. I don’t need to give a lesson on psychology to tell you why your son’s head is a mess, but I can tell you that rather than remain trapped in this mess, your son escaped. He’s got one foot in his mind, and the other is teetering in dreams. Morpheus’ realm.”

Zatanna’s head , which had moved to stare at Jason, whipped back to Constantine so quickly, the Bats were sure she got whiplash.

“How did he get there?”

“Isn’t it obvious, luv?” Constantine shrugged. “Morpheus is rather fond of his sister. And his sister is obviously fond of Jason.”

Bruce got no explanation after that, much to his frustration. He had a feeling that this Morpheus was someone important, and that he saved Jason’s life, but he couldn’t piece anything together beyond that.

Still, Constantine’s diagnosis came with a promise that Jason would come back to him. Some day.

\------------------------------

Bruce got called off world for three months. It was only supposed to be a week, but it was three months. When he finally got home, he ignored his teammates calling for a debrief and medical, and went straight to the Zeta that would take him home. Clark and Diana were kind enough to stop anyone who tried to stop Bruce.

He needed to see his son. And all his children.

“Hey, B!” came Stephanie’s chirp as Bruce arrived in the cave. “Welcome back! Diana called to let us know you were coming.”

Cass, who had obviously been sparing with Steph, walked off the training mat and came to greet him. Bruce curled around his daughter, glad to have her back. Now that he had been away for so long, he was starting to realize things had changed since Jason was returned to him. They were all more physical with showing love, and they all talked more. It wasn’t a game of ‘interpret the grunt’ or ‘do the others actually love me’. No, they were more open with their affection.

“You should go upstairs,” Cass prompted (and Bruce was so proud of how far she had come with her speech). “To the kitchen. There’s a surprise for you.”

Bruce smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead and pulling Steph into a hug, before he went upstairs. The two girls seemed giddy by whatever awaited him. On his way up, he found Duke coming into the cave for something he forgot. He found Damian bickering over a movie with his new adopted sister, Carrie Kelley, while Cullen absent-mindedly fiddled with a new computer program. He found Tim tickle fighting with his one year old sister, Helena. He found Harper fixing up a recently broken X-Box she claimed was for a kid at school. He found Dick and Babs relaxing on a window seat.

All of which stopped what they were doing to greet him and welcome him home, and he made sure to hold each of them close. Because despite the change, Bruce was still terrible with words, but he could show his children how much he loved them with hugs and forehead kiss. He could show he loved them by asking after them and talking to them about anything and everything.

He longed to find Jason. To see his son’s smile light up and to sit next to him and talk. But all of his children had ushered him to the kitchen, so Bruce went.

“Ah, Master Bruce,” Alfred greeted as Bruce pushed open the door. “Ms. Prince called to let us know you were on your way home. If you will give me a moment, I will prepare the med bay to check you over.”

But Bruce’s gaze hadn’t landed on Alfred. No, it had landed on the person sitting next to Kate. Kate was giving him a knowing smile, but Bruce couldn’t be bothered. He stumbled forward and wrapped his arms around the boy. His son.

“Jay?”

“Hi, dad.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! I do love me some comments, so comment away please! It helps me figure out if I'm doing something well or not, so I can improve as a writer.


End file.
